Questions Answered
by Tough Phantom Critic
Summary: All the questions left unanswered by the show are answered in this story. Continuation of Ultimate Enemy and Reign Storm. Begins after Phantom Planet. Rated for mild violence.


All had been well since the Earth had been saved from the Disastroid. Everyone was safe thanks to Danny Phantom and his friends. Tucker Foley was now the Mayor of Amity Park, the Ghost Zone and Earth had a truce, and Danny and Sam had finally admitted their feelings for each other. There had been peace on earth.

Only one person remained unhappy.

As Vlad Plasmius sat on a desolate piece of space junk, he watched the excitement on Earth. They would never accept him back now.

"Actually, being a free roaming space nomad isn't half bad. At least it's quiet and…AH!"

He was cut off as the Disastroid slammed into him and he was sent hurtling towards earth. He traveled through space, down into the atmosphere, and fell directly into the pavement of a nearby street creating a crater. People were all around, in the streets, celebrating earth's success and survival. At the noise of Vlad's fall, several people turned.

"Ouch…" was the first thing to come to his mind. The second was, "Oh gingersnaps!"

By this time someone had exclaimed, "It's him! Vlad Plasmius!"

"It's him!"

"It's the traitor!"

"It's Plasmius!"

"It's the Vlad ghost!"

"Get him!"

Excitement soon turned to a riot as Vlad was chased through the streets by an angry mob. He desperately tried to find a place to hide. As he turned a corner, he overshadowed the first person he came across.

The ex-mayor of Amity Park, Ernesto Montez, was having rather mixed emotions about the recent events involving Danny Phantom. He was quite glad that the earth had not been destroyed. So glad in fact that he didn't even care that he lost the election. Of course, he wasn't so happy about losing to a teenager. To think, even before that, he had lost a re-election to that traitor, Vlad Masters! The whole thing was a bit insulting to him. Overall, he was mostly surprised that the Fenton boy had been the Phantom ghost, Amity Park's great hero, this whole time. It was an awful lot to take in. He had been watching the events on his television, but he switched it off. He went for a walk to think about things.

Really he had nothing to worry about. With the money he had accumulated from his former job as mayor, he never had to work another day in his life. After a long walk he decided he'd better get out the streets. They were so crowded with people celebrating. He began to walk home when he heard a sort of ruckus behind him. He had turned around just in time to see an evil smile cross Vlad Plasmius's face.

Perfect! He had overshadowed the former mayor of Amity Park. The mob of angry people passed by him.

"Plasmius went that way! Get him!" he exclaimed with the ex-mayor's voice.

When the danger had passed, he carefully considered his options. He could stay on earth as Ernesto Montez. He knew that surely the former mayor would have amassed enough wealth for him to live comfortably. The man also lived alone. It would be the perfect opportunity for him to exact his revenge on Danny Fenton.

Danny Fenton wanted nothing more than to spend the whole day with Sam. It was great being with her. Even now as they were flying over Amity Park, she could make him laugh.

"Personally, I would have made it out of recycled materials," she said, pointing to the statue of Danny that stood at the center of the town square. "But you know, that's just me."

They flew over the town and they passed a street corner full of what looked like a group of very angry, very confused people.

"Danny, look!"

"I see them, Sam," he replied. "We should go see what's going on."

Danny landed in the street, and gently let go of Sam. They walked over to the group.

"What's going on, guys?"

They all started talking at once, each one screaming something different about Vlad and how they lost him.

"I should have known that fruitloop would be back! Come on, Sam," Danny said, picking her up with one arm. "We have to warn Tucker!"

Tucker Foley, the current mayor of Amity Park, was enjoying himself in his new office.

"This is the life! I get to run my own town and I get all the cheerleaders and Nasty Burgers I want!" he exclaimed happily. "And look at all this tech!"

"Tucker!" Danny cried as he and Sam phased through the roof.

"Jeez, man! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Tucker said, spinning in his swivel chair

"Sorry, Tuck! I need to talk to you," Danny replied.

"What's up?" Tuck asked nervously.

Sam replied this time, saying, "Some people in town saw Vlad, but he got away!"

"Did you see him?" Tuck asked.

"Well, no," Danny said, rubbing the back of his neck. "But something spooked those people!"

"Danny and I were sure he was there," Sam added.

"I'll see if I can set up some extra precautions," Tucker offered.

"Thanks Tuck," Danny said as he and Sam phased through the wall. "See ya, later!"

"Bye guys!" Tuck shouted in reply.

"Now," he said to the cheerleaders that just walked in, "Which one of you ladies wants to fetch me a soda?"

Danny and Sam landed in Danny's room at Fentonworks. Danny changed into his human form as Sam looked out his window.

"So," she began, "what are you going to do about Vlad?"

Danny thought for a second. "I figured I'd let Tuck handle this one," he replied. "But if I see Vlad anywhere near here, I'll kick him right back out to space, where he belongs!"

Little did they know they were being watched, via a small bug camera. Vlad had time to retrieve supplies from his old house and to go back to the house of the former mayor, where Vlad had stationed his new base of operations. A ghost portal would take time to build, but it could be done. In a pinch, he could always use the one at his old home, though he would only use it in an emergency. People would start to wonder if the ex-mayor of Amity Park started to pay frequent visits to the former home of Vlad Plasmius.

Just then, Jazz walked in to Danny's room.

"I'm not interrupting am I?" Jazz teased the teens.

"Jazz!" Danny whined.

"Oh, calm down," she said. "I'm just in here to update the ghost files. You're going to need them now more than ever, Danny!"

Jazz walked over to the computer and logged on with ease.

"But I changed the password!" Danny said in surprise.

"It's Sam Fenton," Jazz and Sam said together, making Danny blush.

"Oh, Danny. You are so predictable," Jazz said.

Sam and Danny blushed, but it was Sam who changed the subject.

"A few people told us that they saw Vlad today"

"Vlad?" Jazz questioned, "But that fruitloop wouldn't dare come back here. Unless he was up to something!

"Don't worry, Danny," Jazz reassured him. "It's nothing we can't handle!"

From the other side of town, Vlad was watching and waiting. He was waiting for something he could use.

"Blast!" Vlad cried. "How will I get my revenge on the boy when everyone is looking for me? He is too powerful and has too many friends to take on directly. Maybe there is something in those ghost files that I could use. I will go tonight when the boy and his family are asleep."

Later that evening, after he had flown Sam home, Danny went into the kitchen to get a snack. He was thinking about Sam and Vlad. Maddie Fenton was already there, sitting at the kitchen table and working on a broken thermos.

"Mom?" Danny asked. "What are you doing?"

"Just working on this broken thermos, honey. Your father is working on the ghost portal!" she replied cheerfully. "What did you do today?"

"Vlad came back. He was seen in town. I wish I knew where he was so I could throw that idiot cheese head back into the ghost zone and let the ghosts handle him."

"Oh that traitor has caused your father so much grief!" she exclaimed crushing the thermos under her wrench.

"Wow. You're worse than Dad. Last time he was angry he broke my phone."

"Danny, it's a school night," she said looking up from her work. "You need to sleep!"

"I guess you're right Mom," he replied, getting up from his chair. " I haven't been getting much sleep lately."

"That's nice, sweetie," she said, not paying any attention to what he was saying.

"You get some sleep too, Mom," he said a bit louder. "Don't work on that all night!"

"Huh… oh sure sweetie!" she promised.

Before long, all the Fenton's were asleep.

An hour before his trip to Fentonworks, he had double - checked all his bug cameras to make sure the whole family was asleep. He had made sure to leave his host behind, asleep. When at last his dear Maddie and the former mayor were asleep, he snuck into Danny's house, and phased into the boy's room. As the boy's ghost sense went off, he shivered in his sleep. Vlad floated over to the computer and typed in "Sam Fenton." He flipped through the computer and found the ghost files. There was an excessive amount of ghosts he knew nothing about, but the two ghosts that caught his eye were one named "Clockwork" and another named "Dark Danny." He noticed the emblem on the second one. It was similar to the one that the young Daniel wore. He read the information on this ghost and couldn't believe his eyes. It was a future Daniel? Even stranger, it had his ghost half. What was this?

Scrolling down on the page he read "Currently in the custody of Clockwork. Serious threat. Exists outside of time."

"This pleases me! I can use this against young Daniel and beat him at his own game," Vlad said to himself with an evil smirk. He didn't notice the shivering boy beginning to awake.

"Vlad!" Danny said violently. "You sneak into my house, at night, in the dark, just to use my computer? You _are _a fruitloop! A lonely, pathetic fruitloop!"

"Your immature comments amuse me, Daniel," he began, "but I'm not here to play games."

"What? Did the Martians not like you?" Danny teased.

Vlad phased through the roof as Danny went ghost and did the same. Danny wasn't going to stand by as Vlad got away with breaking into his house. Well… phasing into his house.

Danny shot Vlad with his ectoplasmic ray and Vlad went flying.

"That's for breaking into my room!" Danny yelled triumphantly.

Vlad merely returned fire, which Danny promptly dodged as he flew towards him. Danny tried to punch Vlad in the face, but Vlad caught his fist and threw the younger halfa aside.

"Really my dear boy? I thought by now you had learned to throw a proper punch!" Vlad scolded.

Danny stopped in the air a few feet away and landed on the street. Vlad landed nearby facing Danny.

"Well, like father like son, I suppose," Vlad sneered.

Danny flew towards Vlad attempting to punch him again, but Vlad caught him by the neck and promptly held him there while Danny struggled. Vlad let out a burst of energy and zapped Danny, his hair flying wild at the shock.

"Let go… of… me… AHHH!" Danny cried. Infuriated, Danny managed to kick Vlad hard in the chest, getting free.

"Well, boy, I grow tired of our games," Vlad yelled towards Danny. "I have what I came for."

Danny tried to chase after Vlad, but he had phased through the pavement and out of sight. Danny put one gloved hand to his head and ruffled hair wondering what Vlad wanted. Frustrated at Vlad's escape, Danny returned to bed.

All may not have gone according to plan, but he now had information on Daniel's foes, including one in particular that intrigued him: Dark Danny, aka. Dan Phantom. Vlad decided he could use this person to his advantage. He began planning at once. He would go to Clockwork's lair and retrieve Dan, negotiate with him, and convince him to help fight Daniel. Of course, the negotiations wouldn't have to be valid. Surely after being trapped in Clockwork's lair for all this time, Dan would be more than willing to co-operate no matter what. After all, this was a future Danny. If Danny had defeated his future self, then Vlad could easily control him. He couldn't possibly be much of a threat.

Or so Vlad thought.

"Are you okay, Danny?" Sam said in the school cafeteria the next morning.

"Yeah man, you seem a little off,"

"I had a nasty run-in with Vlad last night," Danny told Sam and Tucker sleepily.

"Just tell the teachers you are tired. They'd definitely let the great Danny Phantom skip school," Tucker offered.

"You know I can't do that Tuck," Danny said. "What if he shows up here? Everyone could be in danger."

"And your school work!" Sam finished.

Tucker and Danny both laughed.

"Yeah right, Sam," Tucker said. "That's a good one."

Sam smiled knowingly at her boyfriend. "Anyway, he's right, Tucker. But, Danny," she said turning to him. "You can take a break sometime, you know. Just not during school," she finished with a scowl at Tucker.

"But what did he want?" Tucker began.

"I don't know. He snuck into my room. When I fought him off, he just said he had what he needed and left," Danny explained.

"Jazz was right. He's definitely up to something!" Sam exclaimed.

"Of course I was right," Jazz said, making the group jump, "and I think I know what he wanted."

Vlad walked past the familiar streets to his old mansion and stopped just before turning the corner to his street. He wanted to visit the portal in his former estate to get to Clockwork's lair. He couldn't risk using the Fenton's and his new one wasn't finished yet. Making sure no one was on the streets to see him disguised as Ernesto Montez, he made his way to the large house.

Once he had reached the portal, he tried to remember the description of Clockwork's lair. After wandering a while, he finally came upon it. Quietly he went inside. He had assumed he was looking for a thermos. What else could contain such a brutal ghost?

After a short time of looking and trying to avoid and sneak past Clockwork, he found what he presumed must be the container that held the evil creature. He took it and phased through the floor.

Still inside the lair a young adult Clockwork smiled and thought to himself _"Everything is the way it is supposed to be." _Without turning away from his clocks, he acknowledged his guests.

"Hello. Why don't you observe some manners, and stop coming in unannounced?" Clockwork said to the Observants with a smile.

"You know why we are here Clockwork. You have let the future Daniel Fenton escape!" The first Observant started.

"We have told you that he was your responsibility," the second Observant stated, "And you have let the most powerful, most evil ghost in the universe slip from your grasp."

"So do something about it," Clockwork sighed.

"We cannot. We vow only to…"

"Observe," Clockwork cut them off.

"Had you destroyed Daniel Fenton before," one Observant began.

"We would not have a problem," the other finished.

"Fine. You won't have a problem with Dan Phantom in the future. I will make sure that he is eliminated," Clockwork consented.

As the two ghosts left, satisfied, Clockwork turned to a window on his left as he morphed into his elder form.

"His time will be up before long."

"My ghost files?" Danny asked. "But why would he want my ghost files?"

Jazz had gone to enter some information on Danny's computer that morning and had found that someone had already logged in.

"Everything we know about the ghosts that live in the Ghost Zone are on that computer," Jazz said in hushed tones so that the group would not be overheard. Lately, it had been harder to keep their plans a secret from everyone. Constantly, Danny was being followed by crazed girls, usually including Paulina, and everyone wanted the latest scoop on the town hero.

"I'm worried," Sam piped up. "Who knows how much information Vlad has against you now?"

"Thanks, Sam," Danny replied sarcastically, looking down at his food.

"I'm sorry, Danny," Sam replied, "but we have to think of a plan."

"Yeah, man. Lighten up," Tucker said, trying to cheer everyone up. "Who says that Vlad even saw anything?"

Just then, as if on cue, a crash was heard down the hall. Several people looked in the direction that the sound was heard, and then looked towards Danny, wondering what he was going to do. Then, when his ghost sense went off, Danny got up and ran in the direction of the sound, with several people following.

"Hello. Remember me?"

Finally, his plan was going so well. He finally had something to use against Daniel. As he walked back to his secret lab, he thought of how he could convince Dark Danny to be his partner. When he walked towards the table where he had set his thermos, an unfortunately familiar face greeted him.

"I am the Box Ghost! Beware my green box of doom!" the small blue ghost shouted holding a large container.

"Is that… is that my Spectral Energy Neutralizer? I reserve that to use on Daniel Fenton only!" Vlad replied angrily. The weapon was built for him by Skulker to use on the ghost boy.

"It is now my BOX OF DOOM! The creature in the cylindrical container paid it to me for his freedom," the ghost replied.

"WHAT?" Vlad yelled angrily running towards the thermos.

Empty. His plans were ruined. Now how would he get his revenge on Daniel? Then it dawned on him. He would have to call in a long - saved favor.

No, It couldn't be. He was supposed to be with Clockwork. How could he have escaped? Danny's heart sank. His evil older-self from an alternate timeline had come back to haunt him. But how?

"Surprised? I exist outside of time now, thanks to this."

He held up the medallion bearing Clockwork's symbol. Danny looked horrified, Sam thought.

"Thought you could prevent this future. Now, I don't need you to exist."

"I'm going ghost!" Danny yelled.

The older Phantom lunged for his younger doppelganger, and they phased through the crowd and into the cafeteria. Danny, wanting to keep the school in one piece, managed to get away from Dan's grasp and phase through the roof. Now, Dan duplicated into four and surrounded Danny. Danny flew upward, but wasn't quite fast enough and was caught by the leg. A Dan duplicate threw Danny to the ground. Unfazed, Danny threw a punch in one duplicate's face, but was caught by another's ecto-ray.

"You can't beat me. I know all your tricks, all your moves. I know how you think. I was you once," Dan reminded the young halfa.

"No, not all my tricks. You never met Frostbite!" Danny replied.

Danny threw an ice ray at his foe. Thoroughly confused, Dan was thrown backwards as the ray hit its target.

"You aren't my future!" Danny yelled back.

"No," said Dan, "but I am your end."

Dan Phantom promptly lifted his younger self into the air and sent him hurtling towards the ground.

"Danny!" Maddie cried, now shaking her son. "Danny! Danny!"

"Mrs. Fenton, calm down!" Tucker tried, but to no avail.

"Danny?" Sam called.

Danny opened his eyes. He was surprised to be laying on the sofa in his living room in his human form, surrounded by people.

"Where is he?" Danny yelled, popping up from the sofa.

"He's gone, man. Disappeared after the fight," Tucker said.

"He's gone?" Danny said sitting back on the sofa. "Where?"

Sam looked at her boyfriend nervously. "We don't know, but you're safe now. Take it easy."

Danny, Sam and Tucker weren't at all convinced that the danger was over, but Maddie wasn't willing to let her son go anywhere any time soon.

"Oh, my baby boy! I'm so glad you're safe," Maddie said hugging her son tightly.

"You can let go, Mom. I'm fine," Danny reassured her.

"Danny? Are you awake?" Jazz said poking her head into the room.

Jazz walked over and sat down next to her brother.

"Hey Jazz," Danny said with a glum look. "Where's Dad?"

"In the lab," she replied. "He's trying to find a way to help you fight ghosts. He thinks it's all of this is his fault."

Suddenly a thought dawned on Danny as he thought about the battle.

"What happened?" Danny asked.

"You were doing great, dude… and then you weren't," Tucker added. "But we got you out of there okay, because Sam thought to call your parents."

"Your Mom and Dad came charging in, bazooka's flying, but your jerky older self was gone," Sam added. She was surprised to see Danny's eyes turn green.

"He could have hurt any one of you, and I couldn't do anything!" Danny finished with a yell. He went ghost and phased through the roof.

"Danny! Wait!" Sam called.

"He's gone, Sam, " Tucker told her, "but he'll be back before supper. He didn't have any lunch."

In times like these, there was always a silver lining. Skulker thought this was one of them. A ghost wearing the ghost child's symbol had attacked the Ghost Zone, but he knew it couldn't be Phantom. The ghost had been much too old to be Phantom, and he had attacked without cause. _So if this imposter had appeared in the ghost zone without trouble from the ghost child, Phantom mustn't be in any condition to fight,_ Skulker thought. This was the perfect time to attack the ghost child. Now that the ghost boy was a hero, he was an even rarer prize. He was a prize that surely Ember would be impressed with.

Skulker had already come up with a plan. He would attack the boy from his home, using the child's own portal. He would capture the boy easily in his weakened state and bring him back to the island. Ember would never again call him a lousy hunter.

Hours ago, he had left the ghost zone only to discover that the boy wasn't home. Sure that he was nearby, Skulker looked around the surrounding area. Little did he know, a certain ghost hunter took it upon herself to keep an eye on the Fenton's after school incase Danny had needed any help.

Valerie had seen Skulker on her radar the moment he left Fentonworks, and she had raced to the area. She wasted no time engaging in battle.

"Oh no, you don't, ghost! You're not getting away that easy!" she said when he dodged her plasma – gun's fire. "I'll teach you to mess with the Fenton's!"

Skulker would normally return fire, but his mission was to find Phantom before he regained his strength. He sped off in the other direction, looking for the ghost child as he went. He would not fail this time.

Danielle hadn't seen Danny since the day the world was saved from the Disastroid incident, and now she had heard he was fighting Vlad again. She decided it was time to pay her cousin a friendly visit to see if he was okay. At first, she had been worried about running into Vlad, but Danny never hesitated to save her and she wanted to repay the favor. Although, she did doubt that Danny needed saving, per se, she figured she could help.

As she was flying over Amity Park, she spotted a familiar face down below.

"Valerie?" Dani called down. "Is that you?"

Valerie seemed to be fighting another ghost, and a strange one at that. He looked like a large mechanical ghost. Dani sped downwards to help Valerie.

Skulker looked up just in time to see a black and white figure speeding towards him. _It's the ghost boy! _He thought. He shot his net towards Dani.

"I've got you now ghost boy!" Skulker exclaimed triumphantly.

Skulker heard a muffled sound from inside the net.

"You aren't getting out of this one ghost boy! It's new and re-enforced! Do you like it?" Skulker added hopefully. The only reply he got was a muffled sound.

Valerie had realized what had happened only a moment too late.

"Wait! You have the wrong…!" she tried to explain, but she was cut off by the sound of Skulker's metal jet, as he zoomed away.

"I have to tell Danny!"

Danny had been thinking about his battle with Dan, when he heard his name being called from below. He stopped in mid-air and looked down. He saw Valerie zooming towards his house.

"Valerie!" he called. She stopped and looked around, then up. When she saw him she flew up towards him.

"Danny! Your cousin! Skulker took her!" Valerie explained.

"What?" Danny was horrified.

"I think he thought she was you," Valerie continued.

"Skulker's in for a big surprise!"

Maddie heard a sound from upstairs and went up to investigate. To her relief, her son's friend was correct; Danny had returned just in time for dinner and had phased into his room, with visitors apparently.

"Danny?" she said as she walked through the open door to his room, "Are you okay, sweetie?"

"Fine, Mom" he replied, out of breath.

"Honey, where have you been? Oh hello, Valerie."

"Hello, Mrs. Fenton! Sorry to barge in like this."

"Mom. I'll be back soon. We have something we need to do in the ghost zone,"

"Oh," she said, surprised. "Is everything alright, Danny?"

"I'll explain later!" he hollered as he ran down the stairs, Valerie following.

Next they ran into Sam, Tucker, and Jazz.

"Saving Danielle from Skulker. I'll explain on the way. C'mon!" Danny hollered. Sam and Tucker ran after the two teens.

They leaped down the steps to the lab, Danny going ghost in the process, and they passed Jack Fenton who was working at a table.

"Danny!" Jack said, greeting the group of, now, five teens. "I want to show you something. Where are you going?"

"We have to borrow the Specter Speeder, Dad. It's an emergency!" Danny scrambled.

"Alright, but don't stay in the ghost zone too long! You never know what some of those ghost could be up to." Jack replied.

As the group got into the floating contraption and flew into the ghost zone. Jack laughed to himself.

"Kids these days! They're always zooming off after ghosts."

Safe in his island, he walked into the largest cage he owned, and it was completely empty. He finally let his prey loose. As the ghost struggled to get out of the net, Skulker locked the cage behind him. There was no way the ghost boy was getting out of this cage, halfa or not. He turned his back on the struggling form. Now, where was Ember? She had to see this!

"Ember?" Skulker called as he walked into the next room.

The ghost girl walked into the room, her guitar in tow.

"What? We were practicing!" She hollered at her boyfriend.

"I've caught the ghost boy!" He said excitedly, as her eyes widened.

"No, you haven't! You caught the little dipstick? Show him to me!" She said in disbelief.

The pair rushed into the room only to find, not the ghost boy, but a confused Danielle in a cage.

"You caught a little girl?" Ember said with a scowl. "You are lousiest hunter in the ghost zone."

"No, no! I caught the ghost boy! Where is he?" he asked Dani in accusation.

"Well, I admit she looks like him," Ember said, taking interest.

"My cousin is going to find me and rescue me! Then, he's going to kick your butt!" Dani said in defiance.

"What did you say?" Skulker asked the girl.

"Danny is going to save me! Then, you'll be sorry!" she yelled at him.

"Danny? As in Danny Phantom?" Skulker asked.

"Your Phantom's cousin?" Ember asked, dumbstruck.

"He's going to save me!" Dani said angrily, ignoring their comments.

"We can use her!" Ember suggested.

"I'll have time to set the traps for him and…" Skulker's comment was never heard over the bang coming from the walls caving in.

Danny had shot a beam of ectoplasmic ray from the Specter Speeder and blasted open the walls.

"Danny!" Danielle cried. "Down here!"

In the Specter Speeder, Danny had been giving orders.

"Okay, Tucker, Valerie, and Jazz. You three hold off Ember and Skulker."

"You got it, dude!" Tucker replied grabbing a weapon.

"Sam, you and I will find away to get to Dani," he said hurried.

He phased them through the vehicle and they ran to their respective positions.

"Danny! Help!" Dani yelled.

"Danielle!" Danny yelled back.

He spotted her in the cage. Danny ran over to help, but not fast enough.

"Oh no, you don't ghost boy!" Skulker momentarily stepped away from the battle to set off a ghost shield triggered on his armor.

Danny ran right into the deployed ghost shield, and was zapped on the spot.

"Ah!"

"Danny!" Sam and Danielle cried together.

Danny changed back into his human form and crossed the shield without harm.

"Danny!" Danielle cried.

"Are you okay, Dani?" Danny said. "How do we get you out of here?"

They all looked around for some way to get Dani free.

"Keys!" Jazz said, pointing to the wall. Sam ran to the spot.

"You left the keys on the wall?" Ember cried angrily at Skulker.

"How was I supposed to know they'd be here so fast?" Skulker yelled back.

Tucker got an idea. He pulled out his PDA and sent a message to Skulker's armor, which contained a matching PDA.

"What?" Skulker exclaimed. "Not more purple back gorillas! NO!" Soon, Skulker was out of sight, and only Ember was left, fighting with her guitar against two ghost fighters.

Sam managed to grab the keys and unlock Dani's cell.

"Thanks, Sam. Let's get out of here, Dani. C'mon guys!" Danny called to the others.

Danny grabbed Ember from behind and threw her in the cage. He locked the door.

"Wait! No! Stop! I'll get you for this dipstick!" Ember yelled as Danny went ghost and phased the team through the floor of the Speeder.

With Sam, Tucker, Valerie, Jazz, Danielle, and Danny all in the Fenton Specter Speeder, the gang was off. Only now, when they could relax a bit, did they notice that something wasn't quite right in the ghost zone.

"This must be _his _doing!"Danny thought angrily. "What if he had gotten to Skulker's island?"

"Danny, this isn't your fault," Sam comforted, "and Dani's fine, right Dani?"

"Right!" she said with an adorable smile. "I'm okay coz!"

Danny sat unconvinced in another seat, one gloved hand in his hair, as Tucker drove the Speeder through the wreckage. The Ghost Zone looked like it had been attacked, though there was nothing to see but destroyed ghost junk now.

Jazz put a hand on her brother's shoulder. "We'll get 'em, little brother," she said reassuringly, though it didn't make him feel any better.

"I don't want you all in danger!" Danny said determinedly.

"Maybe you could tell me what that danger is, before you lock us in your basement," Danielle said.

Danny raised his eyebrows at Danielle and Valerie, who were both watching him intently. He sighed and told them all that had happened the day he found his future self. Valerie was surprised and a bit pleased to hear about her older self, while Danielle was horrified to find out who Dan was.

"Oh yeah and Jazz… Danielle, Danielle… Jazz." Tucker said turning around for a second. "Jazz, this is your …cousin."

Danny explained about Dani too, skimming over or buttering up a few details that made her look less than sweet.

"And she uh… was under Vlad's influence and didn't really know what she was doing, but in the end she helped me defeat him," Danny finished proudly. Now everyone knew everyone else and what was going on.

"A clone? That would explain how much you two look alike," Valerie said nervously, recounting their attempt to save Dani, and how she hadn't been too kind with Danny originally.

"Oh!" Dani gasped as she realized she was still in ghost form. She changed back to let Jazz and Valerie see her human form. "Ta da!"

"Now all that's left is to explain you to my parents," Danny said.

"What do you mean?" Dani asked though she thought she knew the answer.

"You aren't going anywhere for a while," he told her. "There's no way I'm gonna let you out of my sight!"

And with that, the group flew the remainder of the way back to Fentonworks, where a confused Maddie and Jack awaited their safe return.

Dan Phantom was looking over a battered and beaten Ghost Zone when he decided that enough damage here was done. He had passed up Skulker's island and Clockwork's lair purposely. The 'dangers' there were annoying, and he could get to them after his younger self was not in the way. Soon, he would return to defeat his younger useless form and take Amity Park and the world by storm. It was almost too easy. That Box Ghost of the past had been easy to fool. In this time period, everyone was soft. He could tell that even the fruitloop of this time knew nothing about him.

He made his way towards the Fenton Portal, and waltzed easily inside. No one was around. He casually made his way upstairs into the living room where it seemed everyone was and found a surprising group of people, including one who he didn't recognize. Wanting to keep his attack a surprise, Dan turned invisible and phased through the floor and on the other side of the group and grabbed Dani.

When Danny was done explaining to his parents everything that had happened from Dan Phantom to today's events with Dani, they looked at him in surprise. Jack picked up Danielle.

"So this is a little Danny clone?" Jack inquired. "You're different than Danny, but I can't quite put my finger on it…"

"She's a girl, Jack," Maddie finished for him.

"Right," he said, "I knew that."

"She's not an exact clone," Danny said with a smile.

"I like to kick ghost butt!" She said as she went ghost, "Especially Vlad!"

"I like her!" Jack exclaimed putting her down, as she changed back into her human form.

"Oh, Danny, she's like a little you! She can stay as long as she likes!" Maddie said finally, looking at the girl lovingly.

"I guess we're keeping you," Danny said with a laugh.

As the group began to discuss what to do next, Dani was suddenly pulled through the floor.

"Whoa!" Dani cried in surprise.

"Danielle!" Danny cried, fearing for his cousin's life.

"Where'd she go?" Jack asked. "Aww… I wanted to show her my Fenton Ghost Fisher!"

"Strange," said a cold voice from behind the group. They turned around to see Dan Phantom holding the child in the air as she squirmed. "Vlad always was too much of

an idiot to get anything right. Although, I do have him to thank for setting me free."

"Let go!" Dani cried bravely.

Dan laughed a cold, dark laugh. "Now, why would I do that? Where are you going to run?"

"Does she have a habit of being kidnapped?" Jack asked.

Danny's eyes turned glowing green. "Put. Her. Down!" Danny yelled. "She has nothing to do with you!"

"Wrong," Dan said, "I'm you, only more powerful."

"I'll never turn into you!" Danny replied in defiance. He wouldn't break his promise to his family.

"No, you won't," Dan said calmly with a very evil smile, "Not if I destroy you. But I don't need you to exist anymore."

"I'm going ghost!"

Danny flew into the air charged a burst of green energy between his fingers, but let it die. He didn't want to hurt Danielle.

"You know," Dan said, blasting Danny with energy, "Those human emotions of yours are beginning to bug me."

"Danny!" Danielle squeaked as Danny hit a wall. She kicked Dan in the face, breaking free of his grasp, and ran to her cousin's aid, but he was out cold for the time being, reverted back to human form.

"What did you do to him?" Dani yelled angrily, charging energy in both hands. Dan laughed harder than ever.

"Oh please. You think you can stop me?" he taunted. "Have it your way." He put his hand up to blast her, but she beat him to the attack. She let go of ecto-ray after ecto-ray, hitting her target, furiously. When Danny came to, he was surprised at her dodging and diving. He went ghost and stood up by her side.

"Wow. Been practicing?" Danny asked her.

"Do you wanna ask questions?" came her familiar reply, "or, do you want to kick some butt?"

Maddie was the first to think of helping the two young fighters. She picked up the nearest weapon, and tossed another to Jack.

"Get away from them, ectoplasmic scum!" She said as she took aim at Dan. She hit him with a perfect shot. He was sent flying backwards and phased through the house walls to the street. The two young halfas followed the being into the street.

By now, the rest of the group had followed Maddie's example and grabbed a weapon or a thermos, but when they all managed to run outside all three ghosts were gone.

"Why are we here, Plasmius?" The Fright Night asked. They had arrived at Frostbite's kingdom, and were sneaking in unnoticed.

"We are here to find a tool that is essential to my plan, and if you want me to keep up my end of the bargain, we have to find it." Vlad threatened. Before long, Vlad had seen what he was looking for. He picked up the Infi-map and glanced over its depiction of the Ghost Zone.

"Couldn't we just use the ghost boy's portal?" Vlad's partner asked.

"This isn't for getting to the boy's house!" Vlad said impatiently. "I know where he and his idiot father live. No, this is to get somewhere much more important; somewhere I've been once before. But first…"

Vlad unrolled the glowing parchment.

"Take us to Danny Phantom."

"Where are we?" Dani asked her cousin. "It looks like Vlad chose the decorator. And where is future you?"

Danny had been here before once, with Sam and Tucker. They had followed Vlad here when he had stolen the Infi-map. Sam had once told him that this was the time and place on earth of the Salem Witch trials. This was the one place in the entire universe; past, present, or future, where you could find blood blossoms.

"Dani, no! Don't touch those!" he said as she walked towards a particularly plentiful bush of blood blossoms.

"Why? They're pretty," she replied.

"Not to ghosts, they aren't!" Danny exclaimed.

"Hello, Daniel." Danny knew that voice anywhere. "Oh and Danielle! It's a family reunion. How touching."

"What do you want, Plasmius?" Danny said angrily. "You've already caused enough trouble!"

"Why, Daniel, I'm here to help you and Danielle," Vlad replied. "Something your idiot father, can't do very well, can he?"

"This isn't about my father, Vlad!" Danny noticed the Infi-map in Vlad's hands. "You! You were the one who brought us here! You used the Infi-map"

"Quite right, dear boy. Now, allow me to introduce you to my new partner: the Fright Knight!"

"What?" Before Danny could have his questions answered, a loud boom drew their attention away from each other. Dan had entered the clearing at lightning speed, creating a crater where he landed.

"Vlad Plasmius," Dan Phantom began, "Can't even make a proper clone these days."

"I must admit, Dan Phantom, when I first heard of you, I wasn't impressed," Vlad sneered. "Let's see if you can handle more than just teenagers."

As Vlad and the Fright Knight raged against Dan Phantom in battle, Danny frantically looked for a way to defeat Dark Dan.

"Think, Fenton, think!" he said aloud as he looked around him for something he could use. "That's it! The blood blossoms!"

As he changed from ghost form to human form, and Danielle followed suit, he ran over to the blood blossoms and tried to pick one from the bush.

"Ah! Okay, I still can't touch them, even in human form," Danny told Danielle.

Danny looked frantically for another solution. Then he spotted exactly what he needed: a familiar face.

"Wait! Dad…uh…Jack, uh I mean… John Fenton!" he cried out to his ancestor.

"Actually, it's John Fenton Nightengale!" was the excited reply.

"I need your help…uh…vanquishing a demon!" Danny said, trying to sound authentic.

"Where? Where is the spirit?" John asked.

"Yonder… the one with the flames upon his head!" Danny yelled, pointing to Dan Phantom.

"To the blood blossoms!" John yelled.

John quickly created a circle of blood blossoms. Vlad, seeing Danny's plan, promptly blasted Dan Phantom into the circle.

"What is this?" Dan Phantom demanded, feeling the bite of the plant doing its job.

"They're called blood blossoms," Danny said triumphantly. "How does it feel to be vanquished by vegetables?"

"NOOOOO!" His last distant cry was heard and Dan Phantom was no more.

"Now, that I have helped you, you must hold up your end of the deal!" the Fright Knight told Vlad. "With Pariah Dark out of the way, and my end of the bargain upheld, you shall give me the Ghost Ring and the Crown of fire so that I, the Fright Knight, shall become King of All Ghosts!"

"I don't think so," Danny called from behind the Fright Knight. With a kick to the face, the Fright Knight was sent flying.

"Fool! Then I shall take what was promised to me by force," the Fright Knight exclaimed running towards Danny. At the last second, Danny grabbed the sword and threw it into a nearby ripe harvest pumpkin.

"Salem, Massachusetts in the 1600's; it has all your ghost vanquishing needs." Danny said happily, but exhausted.

"Dear boy, have you forgotten what all of this is about?" Vlad said moving closer to him. "I still haven't gotten my revenge on you for ruining my life! Next, will be your father!"

With that, Vlad shot Danny with an ectoplasmic ray of surprising force. Danny flew backwards into a barrel, crushing it beneath him. Before Danny could react, Vlad caught him by the neck and threw him into the bushes of blood blossoms.

"Ah!" Danny yelled as he fell off the bush and on the ground, giving him relief from the red plants. Danny flew up to Vlad and punched him hard in the jaw. Vlad returned fire with his ecto-ray again, sending Danny flying.

"Danny!" Danielle cried as her cousin fell to the ground and reverted to human form. Though still awake, he was battered and unable to fight any longer. "Leave him ALONE!" she cried. With the last word, she let out a Ghostly Wail that shook the town.

"Danielle has a Ghostly Wail?" Vlad said aloud in shock, as he was blown away by the effect of her new power. Then, Vlad himself slammed against the wall of a building, reverting to human form. Danny looked up at Danielle in surprise.

"Danielle! That was awesome!" he said as she herself changed into her human form, also exhausted. "Come on, let's go home," he told her, putting her on to his back. Danny remembered to grab the Infi-map from Vlad as they turned to leave.

"Infi-map," Danny said, "take us home!" The map obeyed the command and sent them soaring through a portal, into the ghost zone, and out their own portal into the house.

"Danny!" Sam cried as the pair came zooming through the portal. "What happened? Where did you guys go? And where is your jerky older self?"

"Oh my baby! Are you alright?" Maddie cried, as the two halfas walked into the house, now in human form. "How's Danielle?"

"I'm great!" she replied.

"Danielle, you were awesome," Danny said cheerfully.

As everyone crowded in the living room to hear the story, Danny sleepily explained everything that happened, but soon he and Danielle were fast asleep on the couch. They returned the Infi-map to Frostbite the next day. Dark Danny was gone forever. The Fright Knight abandoned all hope of becoming ghost king. Vlad was stuck in Salem, unable to find his way out without the Infi-map. Dani decided to stick around for a while. Danny and Sam finally had some time to themselves. Tucker got to go back to his job, and his cheerleaders. Valerie became a reserve member of the team, occasionally preferring to work alone. Jazz got to update the ghost files, and filed Dan Phantom under 'Trash Bin.' The school, streets and Fenton household were all cleaned up and repaired. Ember got out eventually, and gave Skulker a verbal beating and a few angry strums of her guitar.

Clockwork smiled.

"You did nothing!" the first Observant cried angrily.

"And what did you do?" Clockwork said calmly. "He's my responsibility. I made sure everything was the way it's supposed to be."

"Dan Phantom could still return!" the second Observant replied sternly.

"For once, watch the parade from above," Clockwork said as he walked over to a viewing clock. He showed them the future.

"Observe. This is the future now, if the boy continues to make the right choices…"

The current future seemed peaceful, advanced. The world was at peace with ghosts. An older Danny Phantom stood proudly at the top of Fentonworks with a woman in combat boots and a man with glasses and a futuristic PDA in his hands; he was still a halfa.

"Which he will," Clockwork finished.

"You can't be sure of the boys actions," one Observant said.

"I can," said Clockwork, "I know what's in the boy's heart. But then, I know everything."

_The End_

"Observe. This is the future now, if the boy continues to make the right choices…"

The current future seemed peaceful, advanced. The world was at peace with ghosts. An older Danny Phantom stood proudly at the top of Fentonworks with a woman in combat boots and a man with glasses and a futuristic PDA in his hands; he was still a halfa.

"Which he will," Clockwork finished.

"You can't be sure of the boys actions," one Observant said.

"I can," said Clockwork, "I know everything."

_The End_


End file.
